Flying-machine.



G. A. WENDT. FLYING MACHINE.

7 APPLICATION FILED DEC. 12, 1910. 1,082,143.

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Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

G. A. WENDT. FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 111:0. 12, 1910.

1,082,143, Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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GUSTAVE A. \VENDT, 0F TACOMA, WASHINGTON.

FLYING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedDec. 23, 1913.

Application filed December 12, 1910. Serial No. 596,760.

To all whom zt may concern:

Be it known that I, GUsrAvn A. XVENDT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Tacoma, in the county of Pierce and State of Washington,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Flying-Machines, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to flying machines and has special reference to themeans for raising the machine off the ground and for maintaining it atthe desired elevation.

The class of flying machines to which this invention relates is that inwhich the machine is raised by the reaction on the air of movingsurfaces mounted on the machine. The mechanism is also applicable to providing the propelling force for the machine by changing its action to ahorizontal instead of a vertical line but this form has not beenillustrated.

The objects of my invention are to produce a mechanism by means of whichplanes or surfaces are constantly driven upward and downward alongvertical lines and by which the downward traveling planes present theirentire surface to the resistance of the air while the upward travelingplanes present only their edges thereto. I attain these and otherobjects by the devices, mechanisms and arrangements illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a flyingmachine equipped with my elevating planes; Fig. 2 is a front elevationof a portion thereof showing the mechanism for actuating and controllingthe elevating planes; and Fig. 3 is a side view thereof.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The flying machine illustrated in the drawings comprises a frame 1mounted on suitable running gear 2, with front and rear horizontalrudders 3 and vertical rudders 4, together with a suitable propellingmotor 5 driving a propeller 6 whereby horizontal motion is acquired. Theframe 1 is formed with fore and aft sections joined together at the topand bottom to form a stiff structure, the elevating planes traveling inthe space between the fore and aft sections. A motor 7 is mounted in asuitable position and drives a shaft 8 by means of a sprocket chain 9. Acounter-shaft 10 is mounted parallel with the shaft 8 and is driventhereby in the opposite direction by means of the gears 11 mounted onthe two shafts. These two shafts 8 and 10 each drive one set of planes,one on each side of the machine, and since these two sets are exactlysimilar in form and action, but travel in opposite directions, thedescription of one such set is sufficient and the similar parts in thetwo sets will be indicated by similar numerals.

On each end of the shaft 8 (and 10) are mounted the small sprocketwheels 12 which drive the larger wheels 13 above them by the chains 14.These gears 13 are each secured to the outer ends of the short shafts 15suitably journalcd in the frame 1. Similar gears. 16 are secured to theinner ends of said shafts 15. The small sprocket gears 17 are mountedadjacent to the gears 12, on the inner sides thereof, said gears 17being the same size as the gears 12. The gears 17 drive the gears 18,loosely mounted on the shafts 15 between the gears 13 and 16, by thesprocket chains 19. Similar gears 20 are secured to the gears 18 andturn therewith on the shafts 15. The gears 18 and 20 are slightly largerthan the gears 13 and 16. It is evident that the chains 14 and 19 travelat the same rate and that therefore the gears 13 and 18 turn throughequal numbers of teeth in a given time, but since the gear 18 is largerthan the gear 13 the gear 18 will rotate at a slower rate. Gears 21 and22 are vertically over the gears 16 and 20 respectively and are of thesame sizes and are mounted in pairs loosely on suitable shafts 23.Sprocket chains 24 join the gears 20 and 22, and other chains 25 jointhe gears 16 and 21. The chains 24 and 25 travel at exactly the samelongitudinal rates but since the chain 25 is shorter than the chain 24it makes a complete circuit slightly quicker than the chain 24 and henceit gains on said chain each time it turns over the sprocket wheels.

Taking now the fore and aft chains 24 and 25 into consideration: Atsuitable intervals on the chains 24 are secured small journal boxes 26in which the central trunnions 27 of the elevating planes 28 arejournaled. The planes 28 are of any desired shape and extendsubstantially across from chain to chain and their axles or trunnions 27are parallel with the general direction of motion of the flying machine.A small gear 29 is mounted on each trunnion 27 and engages the chain 25thereunder.

The action of the above mechanism is because the two pairs of chains 24andv 25 are traveling at the same rate and the chains 24E carry theplane while the other chains 25 engage the gears 29 thereon, but as theplane rounds the wheels at the top or bottom of its course, the chains23 gain on the chains 24 and cause the gears 29 to rotate and thus turnthe planes through a certain definite angle. By selecting the sizes ofthe gears 16, 20 and 29 the plane can be made to turn through a quarterturn on its trunnions each time it passes over one of the gears, and byplacing the planes in horizontal position on the downward traveling partof the chain they will turn automatically into a vertical position onreaching the other side of the circuit and will pass upward edgewise.Thus it will be seen that the planes 2S always act on the air duringtheir downward stroke and are practically inactive during the upwardstroke, hence by suitably spacing the planes on the chains a constantvertical reaction is maintained tending to lift the flying machineagainst the action of gravity, and this action will vary with thedownward speed of the planes.

Since the axes of the planes are parallel with the direction of motionof the machine, they present practically no resistance to the forwardmotion thereof since their edges are always presented in that direction(Fig. 2). It will be noted that the planes turn pro gressively at eachend of their travel, hence the side which is lowest during one downwardstroke of a plane is uppermost during the next downward stroke of theplane.

It is obvious that many changes in the details of construction of themachine and of the planes can be made, and that the direction of motionof the planes might be al tere'd to suit other circumstances, withoutdeparting from the true spirit of my invention.

Having therefore described my invention, what I claim, is

1. In a flying machine, the combination with a frame; of an endlessconveyer 24 supported by and traveling on the frame;

an endless controlling chain 25 supported by .and traveling on saidframe and being at all points parallel with said conveyer 24:, but beingof different length; planes 28 pivotally secured to said conveyer 24. atintervals thereon and traveling therewith; means 29 mounted on saidplanes and engaging said controlling chain 25 at varying points thereinwhereby said planes are controlled on their pivots; and means fordriving said conveyer 24s and said controlling chain 25 at equal linealspeeds.

2. In a flying machine, the combination with a frame; a motor mountedthereon; a

shaft 8 driven by said motor; two similar sprocket wheels 12 and 17mounted on said shaft; two concentric sprocket gears 13 and 18 mountedon said frame and being dissimilar in size and independently rotatable;sprocket chains 14 and 19 having similar links, but being of differentlengths, said chain 14; connecting the gears 12 and 13 and said chain 19connecting the gears 17 and 18, whereby said gears 13 and 18 are drivenat different rotational speeds but at equal circumferential speeds; twoconcentric idle sprocket gears 21 and 22, loosely mounted on said frame,the gear 21 being similar to the gear 13 and the gear 22 being similarto the gear 18; two sprocket chains 24 and 25 GUSTAVE A. W ENDT.

lVitnesses M. F. MoNnm, T. F. ALBER'rsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

